Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/522093
T here's a reason why people love summer and it's a big part of what lures a steady flow of newcomers to South- ern California: the sun is actually good for us. It's a great source of vitamin D, but beyond that, people generally get a sense of well-being from spending time in the sunshine. That being said, I've been loving all the recent overcast mornings followed by sunny afternoons. Contrasts and variety are the spice of life, and that's another reason to love SoCal— we are rich in diversity. Whether you prefer cool or warm weather, there's no excuse now for not getting outdoors. Since working with writer Laura Owens on the "earthing" feature in this issue (pg. 22), I've been making a point of taking off my shoes to walk in the grass. I'm in the process of making it a habit, like drinking more water or re- membering to breathe deeply and sit up straight. (I hope you took a deep breath and straight- ened up when you read that!) Habits like that bring ongoing healing to our bodies. We call this our Healing Arts issue, but the healing we need most is progressive—a continu- ing process. Our bodies, genet- ics and the environment do occasionally play tricks on us de- spite our best practices, but these practices vastly improve our odds for staying healthy, or speedy recovery if we succumb to an illness. Usually we ask our contributing writers to share something about their writing process for their story in the current issue, but this time we asked them to write what they know about healing. I think you'll enjoy seeing what they had to say. Care to chime in? We always love to hear from our readers! One of the most debilitating forms of illness is one that in- volves chronic pain (pg. 24). If you've ever had an ache or pain that just won't quit, you have some sense of what that must be like. In these situations, some sufferers are finding, a helpful remedy is one savvy parents use with young children: distrac- tion. They channel their energy and pain into artistic endeavors, such as music or visual arts, which releases energy and keeps their minds focused elsewhere. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another, both with scientifical- ly proven solutions and others that can't easily be measured. Consider visitors to so-called sa- cred sites such as Lourdes who are able to cast off their crutch- es. Such healings can't be ex- plained by science, nor can the energetic healings practiced by some you'll meet in our story on page 26. If you travel this summer, please take WLT with you, either in print or on your mo- bile device, and please share it. It's disturbing to find hackers— computer terrorists—continually assaulting our website and even our Facebook page (don't they have anything more productive to do?), so the more genuine users we have engaging with us, the better we can fulfill our in- tention of sharing information with as many readers as possible. Please also remember to tell our advertisers you found them through Whole Life Times. We count on them to make our work possible, and they count on your interest in their products and services. Let's support our holistic community! Have an extraordinary summer and take care of the earth. From my heart, from the editor Dear Readers, 6 wholelifetimes.com